Then What?
| "Then What?" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Clay Walker | ||||
| from the album Rumor Has It | ||||
| B-side | "Country Boy and City Girl" | |||
| Released | January 13, 1998[1] | |||
| Recorded | 1997 | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 3:03 | |||
| Label | Giant | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Jon Vezner, Randy Sharp | |||
| Producer(s) | James Stroud, Clay Walker | |||
| Clay Walker singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Alternative cover | ||||
 Dance Mix cover | ||||
"Then What?" is a song written by Jon Vezner and Randy Sharp, and recorded by American country music artist Clay Walker that reached the Top 5 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Songs) chart. It was released in January 1998 as the fourth and final single from his album Rumor Has It.
Content[edit]
The song's subject concerns advising a man against committing adultery, and the consequences that infidelity would bring for the rest of his life.
Background[edit]
In an interview with Billboard Walker stated, "Music should provoke some type of emotion in people, whether it be sad, romantic, or happy, and 'Then What?' is definitely a pick-me-upper." He also stated, "As an entertainer, being on the road so much, I hope to have a song that will go over good live. And this is probably the best song live that we've had since my first single."[2]
Critical reception[edit]
Larry Flick of Billboard wrote "The island feel of this track's production gives Walker's new single a fresh, bouncy, and totally appealing sound. Walker's vocal is teeming with personality, and this little number should find instant favor among programmers looking for a sunny winter offering."[3] The Dallas Morning News wrote, "A quasi-calypso ditty - you can't get more innocuous than this - the song's accompanying video comes complete with Gilligan's Island motif and the usually stiff Mr. Walker donning sandals and singing with his denim shirt wide open.[4]
Kevin John Coyne of Country Universe listed "Then What?" as the 377th greatest contemporary country single and wrote, "With this out-of-left-field smash, Walker has the dubious honor of bringing Caribbean-flavored country back to the forefront."[5]
Music video[edit]
The music video was directed by Martin Kahan. It has a very summery beachy theme, with Walker performing the song against an aquarium backdrop with a huge shark with its mouth wide open in the middle to an audience, and at a boat marina both on a pier and a boat singing to the customers as they are boarding. Other scenes feature Walker inside a huge crocodile prop, a couple going into a huge fish head only to run out again, people painting green balls, and a reggae band playing on a beach.[6]
Chart performance[edit]
This song debuted at number 60 on the Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart dated December 27, 1997. It charted for 27 weeks on that chart, and peaked at number 2 on the chart dated April 11, 1998. It also peaked at number 65 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Charts[edit]
| Chart (1998) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada Country Tracks (RPM)[7] | 4 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[8] | 65 |
| US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[9] | 2 |
Year-end charts[edit]
| Chart (1998) | Position |
|---|---|
| Canada Country Tracks (RPM)[10] | 58 |
| US Country Songs (Billboard)[11] | 12 |
References[edit]
- ^ http://www.cmt.com/artists/az/walker_clay/545494/album.jhtml [dead link]
- ^ Schmitzer, Lauren. "Country radio warms up to laid-back Caribbean sounds." Billboard 110.13 (1998): 24. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 18 May 2011.
- ^ Flick, Larry Billboard Single Reviews DECEMBER 20, 1997
- ^ The Dallas Morning News You can cut a disc, but can you cut a deal? (8 March 1998).
- ^ Coyne, Kevin John 400 Best Contemporary Country Singles: #400-#376 Country Universe (September 18, 2005)
- ^ 1998 Billboard Music Video Awards (Oct 9 1998)
- ^ "Top RPM Country Tracks: Issue 3540." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. May 4, 1998. Retrieved July 14, 2013.
- ^ "Clay Walker Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
- ^ "Clay Walker Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
- ^ "RPM Top 100 Country Tracks of 1998". RPM. December 14, 1998. Archived from the original on March 15, 2016. Retrieved July 14, 2013.
- ^ "Best of 1998: Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 1998. Retrieved July 14, 2013.
